UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law

It is already devastatingly evident in the LA fires: disasters affect different people in different ways. Hollywood A-listers with multiple homes, or who can afford to rent a place during the rebuild, have a different experience of the upheaval of displacement than someone without these things. If you can work remotely, can afford childcare, have your own transport, don’t have a chronic health condition and have friends or family for support ... these all can affect your ability to bounce back. So, do our disaster-management plans really grapple with these differences – age, gender, health status, financial resources and social networks? In this Women's Agenda piece, UNSW Law & Justice Professor Jane McAdam looks at how we can do better at planning evacuations from disasters, so that people don't get left behind. https://lnkd.in/gvP8S3bT

"Cultural heritage is the contribution of particular peoples to the world, and these peoples are the best to look after it and it is their right to access, enjoy it and pass it to future generations," says our own Sherine Al Shallah in this important Deutsche Welle article that also includes insight from our UNSW Law & Justice colleague Lucas Lixinski.

Congratulations to you, Halifet Ayemohammed Yusuf, and to all the wonderful researchers who together made our 2024 Displaced Scholars Peer Mentoring Program such a success. It's an honour and privilege to play a part in your journeys. Our immense gratitude, too, goes to program coordinator Oudai Tozan, and to Tristan Harley, Frances Voon and our supporters who ensure this transformative program can continue to thrive, changing lives and scholarship.

Overnight in The Hague, before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), a Papua New Guinean man described rising seas forcing his family and friends to move four times already. The villagers from Veraibari are now planning a fifth and final relocation: 'If this relocation fails, we have nowhere else we can go.' The ICJ hearings began last week and continue until Friday. The court will produce an advisory opinion on 'the obligations of states in respect of climate change'. It will inevitably be a landmark. UNSW Law & Justice Professor Jane McAdam, for years a pioneer in this legal field, recently wrote about how the ICJ opinion might influence protection for people at risk of displacement in the context of climate change: https://lnkd.in/gMpfrPsT

Today I'm excited to be able to officially announce the Refugee Student Settlement Pathway! 🎉 This new pilot has been greenlit by the Australian government and will allow refugee students to migrate to Australia to take up tertiary education opportunities in 2025. Skill Path Australia is managing the selection of 20 refugee students (18-30) based in Malaysia, Thailand and India for the program. I'm already fielding hundreds of applications from talented young people who Australia would be lucky to welcome to our shores. Congratulations to Sally Baker, Bronwyn Parry and The Australian National University for spearheading the effort to bring universities and government together on this through the Australian Refugee Welcome University Sponsorship Consortium (ARWUSC). The pilot has been co-designed with over 60 partners and stakeholders, with leadership from ARWUSC, Refugee Education Australia, Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia and Skill Path Australia. Thank you to the many other organisations and individuals supporting the pilot - including UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency Duolingo, Refugee Council of Australia, Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network, SSI, Settlement Council of Australia, Amnesty International Australia, Talent Beyond Boundaries, the Australian Refugee Advisory Panel and so many others. Read more about the initiative here --> https://lnkd.in/gZmr7FVA

Our colleagues at the Forcibly Displaced People Network Ltd are preparing for the 2025 Queer Displacements conference, calling for papers and sponsors, offering scholarships, and opening early-bird registration for this September event that will highlight regional challenges, global solidarity and practical solutions in the region. The Queer Displacements conference is the first and only event in the Asia-Pacific region focusing on the intersectional challenges and solutions for LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people. It offers a platform to amplify voices, foster solidarity, and develop practical solutions through leadership, advocacy, and collaboration. The event is a valuable opportunity for professionals across a range of fields such as social, community and legal services, policy, academia, and advocacy to gain insights, build connections, and contribute to meaningful change. Event Details: 📅 Dates: 4–5 September 2025 📍 Location: Victoria University, Naarm (Melbourne), Australia 🎤 Abstracts to present your work are open now until 19 January 2025. 🎓 Scholarships open to LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people are open for applications until 19 January 2025.  🫶 Also, you can sponsor the conference to showcase your commitment to inclusion and justice. 🐦 The early-bird 15% discount ends on 28 February 2025, so register today. Get all the information you need to be part of this conference here: https://lnkd.in/gr_TVVWu

In the lead up to Human Rights Day on Tuesday (December 10) we are celebrating Australia's human rights heroes. Scientia Professor Jane McAdam, was recognised with a Human Rights Award in 2022 for her outstanding contribution to international refugee law. She is a pioneer of international law research in the area of climate related human displacement. Learn about her work in this video. We’re looking forward to the Awards coming back in 2025. https://loom.ly/7GLFzD4 #AusHumanRights Jane McAdam

‘Refugees and our allies … want to see this country live up to its promise of fairness and decency. We have not given up – and I invite you to walk towards that future with us together.’ –Zaki Haidari Get the video or podcast of our first Kaldor Centre Oration, with Zaki and Kate Eastman AM SC. Their powerful, moving reflections – on the ‘Tampa affair’ and its ramifications for refugees in the years since – certainly delivered on our aim to enrich the public conversation about refugees. Find the links here: https://bit.ly/3VmCT5l

The Royal Society of NSW last night recognised our founding director, Professor Jane McAdam AO, with its inaugural award in the Humanities, Philosophy and Law. Here is why: 'Displacement remains one of the biggest human rights challenges of our time. As contemporary crises intersect and compound, record numbers of people are fleeing from the harmful impacts of disasters, climate change, armed conflict, persecution and human rights violations. With strong leadership, strategic partnerships and solutions-oriented thinking, much can be done to alleviate displacement and its human costs. Jane McAdam is at the forefront of such thinking. Her pioneering research on climate mobility is directly influencing legal and policy frameworks worldwide, making a real difference for people on the ground. She works with governments, international organisations, civil society and affected communities to develop sustainable, dignified solutions.' Please join us UNSW Law & Justice in congratulating Jane! And bravo to all the others recognised for scholarship UNSW and elsewhere across the state. https://lnkd.in/gCHvhGtH

Thank you everyone at the Emerging Scholars Network annual conference by UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law and the Forced Migration Network. It was a fantastic experience to get to know other HDR students, including those with lived experience of forced migration, learn so much from activists and refugee advocates, industry representatives from UNHCR, DFAT, James Martin Institute for Public Policy and many others. An inter-disciplinary approach demonstrated by many truly offers an insightful way for addressing complex issues of forced migration.